CM Mental Health

Almost half of young adults leaving care thought they had to leave care too early and said they had not been sufficiently prepared for the move.

An inquiry into the care of disabled children and young people by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has learned that some service users and their families found accessing services challenging.

In response to the conviction of gangs of men sexually abusing children from residential care homes, children’s minister Tim Loughton announced a series of reforms earlier this month to prevent it from happening again. Local authorities will now have to carry out more checks before children are placed in homes outside their home boroughs. Currently around half of the estimated 7,800 children put into residential care are placed outside their homes.

Operators of services for children with learning disabilities could face a tougher inspection and regulation regime after a girl was raped by at least one pupil and then expelled at a residential school in Hampshire which Ofsted inspectors had judged to be outstanding’. In January, the First Tier Tribunal published a verdict ruling that the school, which cares for children with learning disabilities, unlawfully discriminated against the girl with an autism spectrum disorder who had a statement of special educational needs and whose condition rendered her emotionally and sexually vulnerable. The school had not developed any strategy to cope with these disabilities, in particular, how not to engage in inappropriate sexual behaviour and, consequently, protect her from abuse which resulted in the rape. Following the attack, her parents were told to remove her from the school on the grounds she had broken the school rules regarding sexual activity. Using powers under the Equality Act 2010, the tribunal ruled that the Department for Education should consider whether or not to cancel the school’s registration and ensure all staff and governors are trained in duties arising from the Act and adjustments reasonably required by pupils with autism.

Community Care Market News (News) April 2003 The National Housing Federation (NHF) has expressed concern over the implementation of Supporting People on...

The number of patients being placed in detention and receiving Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) increased in 2011/12 according to a report by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), published last month. The report, Inpatients formally detained in hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1983, and patients subject to supervised community treatment, annual figures, England 2011/12, found that the number of detentions in NHS and independent hospitals reached 48,600 last year, an increase of 2,300 (5%) on the previous year.

With headlines proclaiming the increasing strains that the NHS is under, the latest research from healthcare consultancy LaingBuisson argues that there is a mass of opportunity for innovative and cost effective healthcare providers across all sectors - public, private and voluntary - to step up to the challenge of offering a range of specialist services in new ways, away from traditional hospital settings.

Following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) branding mental health crisis care inadequate’ (CCMn February 2014), police, mental health trusts and paramedics have signed a new agreement to drive up standards. The Crisis Care Concordat also aims to cut the number of people with mental health issues detained inappropriately in police cells. It sets out the standards of care people should expect if they suffer a crisis and how services should respond. This includes making sure beds are always available for people who need them urgently rather than using police custody. Furthermore, police vehicles should not be used to transfer patients and mental health services will be encouraged to share essential need-to-know’ information about patients to keep them and the public safe.

Failure to plan for the long-term needs of adults with learning disabilities is increasing costs for councils according to a study by learning disability charity FitzRoy.

The Department of Health (DH), NHS England, Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Care Quality Commission and the National Forum of People with Learning Disabilities have issued a statement committing to make the lives of service users with learning disabilities better.